Coating apparatus



June 19, 1928.

C. HUNT COATING APPARATUS Filed March 27, 1922 Patented June 19, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,673,826 PATENT OFFICE; 1

CHESTER HUNT, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORIEORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COATING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 27, 1922. Serial No. 547,155.

This invention relates to systems for coating various objects, and particularly to those for applying cement to portions of shoes, as the soles or filler-pieces associated with the soles.

An object of the invention is to provide compact and effective means for gathering the coated objects in groups in a holder or book, as the holding device is known in the art of rubber-shoe-making, for later use in assembling the various elements to form a completed shoe. In the attainmentoi this object, I combine with coating-applying means, a means for supporting the holder in substantially vertical alinement with the applying means, which holder has means arranged to be interposed between coated portions, together with a conveyor arranged to elevate the coated portions from the applying means to the holder. By such an arrangement, the coating may be dried suiliciently, after leaving the'applying means, for the grouping of the portions in the holder, and yet relatively little floor space occupied'by the apparatus. Preferably, in thus elevating the portions, they are first carried outwardly from the coating means, and then oppositely to the holder, this increasing the length of time during which the setting of the coating may take place. In; the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a booksupport is mounted above the coating machine, while a belt for conveying the coated portions travels from the machine and terminates above the support.

In operating as just outlined, another object of the invention is to handle the coated portions with the least complication of conveyor-structure, andthisI accomplish by inverting them during their transfer. Jor this purpose, the invention includes a conveyor belt arranged to receive 'the'coated portions from the applying means and to deliver them inverted; and to prevent displacement before the point of delivery is reached,

there is associated with the conveyor, means, which may be pneumatic, for retaining the portions upon it, and for releasing'them at a predetermined point. This retaining means may act during the elevation of the portions, and free them above the holder, and may consist of a suction-chamber situated within the conveyor-belt and extending along its conveying surface, but terminating short of the delivery-end.

WVhen the shoe-portion or other object to be fed first leaves the applying member, and the cement or other coating is still wholly fluid, it is desirable that this applied coating shall not contact with the conveyor, or with any considerable area of any elementof the apparatus. An efficient machinefor effecting the coating is that which is the subject of Patent No 1,325,623, COSgrOVe, December 23, 1919, in which an applying roll is immersed in a tank of thecoatingliquid, a transferring conveyor customarily leading from substantial alinement with thentop of this roll. lVithout means to prevent it, the use of such a combination would cause the depositing ot the coated surfaces of the objects upon the conveyor. A further object of the invention is to' so apply the objects to their conveying means that their coated surfaces shall be free from contact therewith. To prevent this objectionable contact, I combine with the coating machinenovel means for inverting objects delivered .by a coating-applying element of said machine, Inthe present instance, this means takes the form of a pivoted arm, to whichthe applying roll and cooperating pressure-roll of the coating ma chine delivers, the member beingmoved, .as by oscillation, from a receiving position in proximity to the bite of the rolls, i -rwhich the coated surface of the object which-it carries is down or toward the'convcyor, to the opposite position, in which said surface will be free from the conveyor.

With such a movable receiving member .as has justbecn outlined, the objects to be operated upon should only be fed to the coating machine at a time when the member is in correct position for its reception. Consequently, another object of the invention is to PI'GClQtGIHLlIlG the feeding periods. This I accomplish by furnishing a delivery-controL ling meansor gate situated betweenthe applying and receiving members, and moving the controlling means and receiving means in timed relation. Preferablypthereare connections from they receiving member to' the controlling member to govern the latter only when said receiving member is in its receiving position, and in the present embodiment of the invention, thisconnection is furnished by contact of the receiving member, when in its receiving position, with the controlling member, thereby holding said controlling member open,'-so that'teed nlay take place,

and thereafter releasing it to prevent feed upon leaving the receiving position.

For the purpose of describing this invention-, a particular form, of many which it ratus and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, looking from the left in Fig. 1.

At A appears a coating machine of the type which is made the subject of the patent previously referred to, though other organizations may be substituted therefor withoutdepartingfrom the spirit of the invention. This machine includes a tank 10 for containing the coating liquid, and in the walls of this tank is j ournaled a shaft 12 carrying an applying roll 14 rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 by a pulley 16. Above the applying roll is situated a pressure-roll 18, journaled in arms 20, 20 pivoted to yield upon an upwardly projecting frame-portion 22 secured 'to the top of the tank. Rotation may be imparted to the pressure-roll, to cause it to assist in feeding the coated work forward, by means of belt-gearing 24 joining its supporting shaft to the shaft 12. In using this machine, the operator advances the workpieces from a table 26 at the rear of the machine between the rolls 14 and 18, the former applying the coating to the under side of the pieces, while thelatter maintains contact of said pieces with the applying roll. Both of these rolls cause the coat ed object to travel forward and be delivered upon a grid, consisting of parallel bars 28 extending from points near the bite of the rolls over the forward extremity of the tank, and supporting the coated work, while allowing any excess of the applied liquid to drain back to the tank.

When thus coated, it is desired to group the work-portions in piles for later use, but sufficiently dried before being assembled so that they shall not adhere to one another, or cause the coating to be disturbed by their contact. To this end, the coated pieces are delivered from the machineto a conveyor, which may consist of a belt 30, the carrying surface of which first extends outwardly from the machine, and then back to a point above said machine. This belt 30, at the end adjacent to'the coating machine, operates over a roll 32 journaled in brackets 34 projecting from the forward wall of the tank 10. The opposite, upper extremity of the belt passes about a roll 36 mounted to turn upon the extremity of a frame 38, which is fixed to the base or bench in advance of the coating machine A. The elevated end of this frame 38 may be supported bye connection at 40 to standards 42, 42 rising at opposite sides of the coating machine. The bearings 44 of the roll 86 may be mounted to slide in ways 46, being adjustable therein by screws 48, this change in I position rendering it possible to maintain the conveyor taut. The outer or idle run of the conveyor, between the rolls 82 and 36, passes over lower and upper rolls 50, 52, respectively, ournaled in portions of the frame 38. The inner or active run of the conveyor is held inthe proper relation, sub stantially parallel to the companionrun. by a roll 54, of larger diameter, journaled in the frame 38 between the rolls 50 and 52. This roll 54 is formed in spaced sections 53, one section at each extremity of the roll and one at its center. Between the rolls 36 and 54, the active run of the conveyor maintained in practically a straight line by a series of rolls 56 rotatable in the frame 38 and of the same sectional construction as the roll 54, the respective outer and inner -sec tions of all these rolls being in aliuement longitudinally of the frame. The conveyor may be driven by belt-gearing 58 connecting the shaft of the roll 32 with that of the applying-roll-shaft 12.

The holder which is to receive the groups of coated portions preferably consists of the usual book 60 having a series of leaves 62 of fabric, between which leaves piles-of soles are deposited side by side upon one leaf, and then the succeeding leaf turned for the reception of other groups. This book is here shown as supported upon a platform 64 mounted on the upper extremities of the standards 42 above the coating machine "A, and having associated with it a rack 66, upon which the unused leaves may rest. r

Obviously, since the coated pieces upon th conveyor between the rolls 54 and 36 are inverted, they would, in absenceofretaining means, drop from th conveyor before their delivery-point at the book 60 is reached. Moreover, the incline of the lower portion of the conveyor between the rolls 32'and 54 may be of such steepness that the pieces being carried up by it might slide back toward th machine. To keep the work in place, there. is situated, between the runs of the belt and extending across it between the outer roll-sections 53, a suction-chamber 64. This chamber is joined by ahead 66 to a conduit 68, through which the proper de gree of suction may be maintained by means of a connected fan, which is not illustrated. Th suction-chamber is in the form of a shallow box, open at the side toward the conveyor and so situated that the inner run of said conveyor is pressed into close contact with the adjacent edges of the box over its entire extent, this contact being brought about by the posit-ion of the rolls 32, 54, ,56

and 36, and the correspondence in curvature between the periphery of the roll 54 and the portions of the suction-box, at which its inclination changes. The chamber reaches from points in proximity to the grid of the applying machine above theinner edge of the book 60, but stopping short of the points at which the work is to be deposited. Through the belt 30, arranged in series along said belt, between the roll-sections 53, are con tracted openings 70, through which the outer air is drawn into the chamber 64. The suction through these openings is of sufiicient intensity to hold the coated pieces in contact with the belt as long as they are opposite the chamber. WVhen, however, they ar carried by the travel of the belt beyond the upperextremity, they are released, and fall'upon the open leaf of the book 60.

W ere the pieces tobe passed directly across the grid 28 to the conveyor, the freshly coated sides would come into immediate contact with the conveying surface, and adhere to it, interfering with their delivery and distributing the coating. To avoid this dilliculty, I include between the coating machine and the conveyor means for inverting these work-portions, so that they are applied to the conveyor with their coated sides upward. For this purpose, there are fixed to a'pivot-shalt 72, rotatable in the upper extremities of the brackets 34, arms 74, which normally pass re'arwardly between the gridbars 28 of the machine A. Fixed'to the shaft 72 is a pinion 76, meshing with a gear-seg m'ent 78 carried by a lever 80 fulcrumed at 82 upon the brackets 34. A link 84conne'cts the lower end of the lever 80 with a lever 86 pivoted at 88 on the tank 1O. A projection from this lever 86' enters a groove in a cam 90 fast upon the extremity of the shaft 12 of the coating apparatus opposite the driving pulley 16. The arms 74 being between the grid-bar's during-the time that a concentric portion a of the cam-grooi e is in engagement with the projection of the lever 86, work-portions delivered upon the grid by the applying and pressure-rolls of the coating machin rest above the arms, and then, when the projection of the" lever is reached by'an inward jog 'b of the camgroove, the conecting' elements cause the 0s cillation of the shafts 72 and arms 74, so that the latter, rising between the grid-bars, contact with the worlrand carry it upwardly, forwardly and downwardly, inverting itupon the conveying run of the belt 30. Displacement of the pieces thus inverted upon the arms is prevented by the rapidity of movement of the former and the slight ad'-' hesive effect produced by the contact of the coated surface with them. This latter, however, is not sufic'ient to prevent the deposit of the pieces upon the conveyor'when the travel of the bars is reversed, since the area of contact is small, the bars being thin and, if necessary, contacting with the coated surfaces at reduced edges. The work-portions having thus been deposited upon the conveyor, the arms are returned to their normal position and held,'awaiting the reception of other coated pieces, by the reengagement of the projection of lever 86 by the portion a of the cam groove.

YVcre the work-pieces to be advanced through the coating machine while the inverting arms are raised, saidpieces would come to rest upon the bars beneath the arms, and when these descended would prevent them from assuming their receiving positions, so that th'e'invertin'g action would be interfered with. Such a condition is prevented by controlling the feed by a gate 92. This gate consists of a bar lying substantially at right angles to the direction of feed across the table 26, and'supported at its opposite extremities upon arms 94, 94 pivoted at 96 upon the frame-portion 22. A spring 98 may be connected to one of the arms to urge the gate toward its lowered or closed position in proximity to the table, in which it prevents the operator from thrusting forward the work-pieces between the rolls l4 and 18. One of the arms 94 has an extension 100, which reaches beneath and receives the contact of one of the inverting arms 74. These contacting portions are so related that when the arms 74 are in their receiving positions, the gate 92 is turned upon its pivot to raise it abovethe table and furnish a space through which the operator may feed the soles. As soon as the inverting arms leave their receiving position, the gate is freed, and contacting with the table bars the teed-opening.

In the use of my improved operator may simultaneously feed two of the objects to be coated, as a right and a left sole, or filler-piece, to the machine A, ad-' vancing them over the table 26 at such a time as the gate 92 is raised, this insuring the invertingarms 74 being in their receiving position; 'Tlie positioning of the pieces t-ransver sely'of the table 26' is such that they will be alined with the spaces between the sections 53 of the conveyor-rolls The pieces, engaged by the applying roll 14 and piessure-roll 18, are carried forward and coated on their under sides with cement from the tank 10 and deposited upon the grid-bars 28. The arms 74 now rise, carrying the coated pieces over upon the conveyor-belt 30, so inverting them that their coated sides are uppermost. The travel of the'belt there upon moves the pieces upon its upper run outwardly from' the machine, they being retained against slipping back'by the suction exerted through the perforations 70 from the chamber 64, and are then raised between the sections of the roll 54 and further elevated upon what is now the under run of the belt 3(), still under the retaining influence of the suction. This continues uniou apparatus, the V tilthey reach points above the open book 60, atwhich time they are sufliciently dried to be in condition for booking and have passed beyond the end of the chamber 64 and are released, falling, spaced from each other, upon the book. The successive feeding of pairs of soles in this manner goes on until the proper number have accumulated in the piles, whereupon the operator may turn a leaf 62, andsimilarly accumulate other piles, this continuing until the book is full, after which it is removed, and an empty one substituted. It will be seen that by thus conveying the coated pieces from the machine and vthen back in the opposite direction above said machine, not only is the floor space occupied byHthe conveying structure and necessary to produce the desired drying effect reduced by one-half, but also that the soles are delivered to the book at a point at which they are under the observation of and accessible to the operator of the coating machine, so that he may conveniently control the leaves of the book for their reception. The fact that both the outward and return runs of the conveyor are along straight lines, there being but a directturn over the pulleys between the two portions, produces a very simple conveying organization, this being brought about by the capacity of the present apparatus for holding the conveyed objects upon the belt when this is inverted. The pneumatic means which effects this retention of the workpieces during their transfer also aids in drying them, thus further shortening the length, of conveyor necessary to bring them to the proper condition for booking.

. Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the-United States is:

1. In a coating system, means for applying a coat-ing to work portions, a holder having means arranged to be interposed between coated portions, means for supporting the holder in substantially vertical alinement with the applying means, and a conveyor arranged to receive the coated por-' tions from the applying means and elevate them to the holder.

2. In an apparatus for coating work-per and a conveyor-belt traveling from the coat ing machine and terminating above the book-support.

4 In an apparatus for coating work-portions, means for applying a coat-ing to the work-portions, and a conveyor belt arranged to receive the coated portions on an upper run and retain them under the influence of gravity in one position and to deliver them carried by an under run in an inverted position. I 1 1 a 5. In an apparatus for coating work-portions, means for applying a coating to the work-portions, a conveyor belt arranged to receive the coated portions in one position above the conveying surface and to deliver them in an inverted position beneath the conveying surface, and means for retaining the portions upon the conveyor in the inverted position.

6. In an apparatus for coating work-portions, means for applying a coating to the work-portions, a conveyor arranged-to re ceive the coated portions from the coating means in one position and to discharge them in aninverted position, and pneumatic means -l'or retaining the portions upon the conveyor in the inverted position.

7. In an apparatus for coating Work-portions, means for applying a coating to the work-portions, a conveyor arranged to receive the portions from the applying means, and means acting upon the surface of the work-portions contacting with the conveyor and made effective after the reception of the portions from the applying means for retaining the coated portions upon the conveyor and for releasingthem at a predetermined point. t

8. In a coating system, means for applying a coating to work-portions, a holder having work-portion-separating. elements, means for supporting the holder above the applying means, a conveyor arranged to receive the coated portions from the applying means and elevate them to the holder, and means for retaining the portions upon the conveyor during the elevation and for releasing them above the holder, the supporting means being arranged to maintain the holder against movement from the point of release during reception of the portions but permitting its removal with accumulated portions,

, 9. In an apparatus for coating work-portions, means for applying a coating to the work-portions, said applying means being arranged to advance the coated portions, a conveyor to which the applying means delivers said coated portions, and a pneumatic retaining device acting upon the faces of the portions on the conveyor opposite those coated.

10. In an apparatus for coating work -pontions, means for applying a coating to said portions, means for supporting a holder for the coated portions above the applying means, a conveyor arranged to carry the Y tions, a coating machine, a sup ort mounted above the coating machine ant constructed and arranged to receive a work-holding book, a conveyor-belt traveling from the coating machine and terminating above the book support, and a suction-chamber-having one side closed by the belt and extending to a point adjacent to the holder.

13. In a coating apparatus, the combination with a tank, of an applying roll mov-.

able therein, a pressure-roll co-operating with the applying roll, pivoted arms normally extending into proximity with the bite oft-he rolls to receive objects therefrom, and means for oscillating the arms.

14. .In a coating apparatus, the combination with a tank, of an applying roll movable therein, pivoted arms normally extending into proximity with the roll, a conveyor traveling from the tank, and means for oscillating the arms between their normal position and'a position over the conveyor.

15. In a coating apparatus, an applying member, a support at one side of the applying member for objects to be coated, movable means for controlling the delivery of objects from the support to the applying member, a movable receiving member situated at the oppoiste side of the applying member from the support, and means for moving the controlling and receiving members in timed relation.

16. In a coating apparatus, an applying member, movable means for controlling the delivery of objects to the applying member, a movable object-receiving member, and

connections to the receiving member ar-- ranged to govern the controlling means only when said member is in its receiving position.

17'. The combination with an applying member, of a gate and a movable article-receiving member situated at opposite sides of the applying member, the receiving member being arranged to support the received article, and means arranged to hold the gate open when the member is in its receiving position.

18. The combination with an applying member, of a gate and a. movable article-receivin'g member co-operating with the applying member, the member being arranged in the receiving position to contact with the gate and hold it open.

19. The combination with an applying member, of a gate and a movable article-receiving member situated at opposite sides of the applying member, the member being arranged inthe receiving position to contact with the gate and hold it open and to release the gate in moving from the receiving 3 position and allow said gate to close.

20. The combination with an applying member, of a feed-gate, and members movable from a position in which they receive objects from the applying member to an object-inverting position, the receiving members in their movement being arranged to control the gate.

21. The combination with an applying member, of a feed-gate, and pivoted arms movable from a position in which they receive objects fromthe applying member to an object-inverting position, the arms in their receiving position acting upon the gate.

22. In a cementing system, a. device constructed and arranged to hold cemented objects between separatinglayers, a support for said holding device, and means co-operating with the support and arranged to deliver the cemented objects 'successively'between separating layers of the holding device.

23. In a coating apparatus, an applying member, movable members arranged to cooperate With the work at opposite sides of the applying member, and connections arranged to control the movement of one of these members upon movement of the other.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHESTER HUNT. 

